Daniel Cormier Reacts To Back-And-Forth With Anthony Johnson

Recently, Ali Abdel-Aziz said that former two-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson, who announced his retirement after losing to Daniel Cormier in their rematch last April, could be considering a return to active competition.

After the news came out, Cormier elected to bash “Rumble”, calling him ‘soft’, and criticizing him for how he acted with Jon Jones prior to the rematch between Cormier and Jones at UFC 214 this past July.

Now, however, “DC” appears to regret how he spoke about Johnson. In fact, the 205-pound titleholder recently said that he ‘was wrong’:

“After Rumble put that post up, I tweeted him,” Cormier told MMAjunkie Radio. “But then I texted him. Because I was mad. Like, ‘I’m mad. I want to fight.’ The reality is, I texted him, and I said some things that weren’t very cool. But then I was talking to somebody that means a lot to me and they said, ‘Why are you so mad? You started it. You said stuff. And you’re mad at him.’

“So the reality is, I was wrong. I should not have called him soft. But I thought that I didn’t like the action, but why do I expect so much out of him? Why do I expect him to not be able to be respectful and still compete at the highest level of the sport?

“So I walk it back a little bit. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said anything about him being soft. Everybody does not have to view competition like I do. And I think that’s why – if he wants to be friends with (Jones) and be nice and cordial, then fine. What does that matter to me?”

Cormier also said that it took a few outside sources to help him realize that he was out of line:

“I was wrong,” Cormier said. “It took me talking to Ali Abdelaziz (Johnson’s manager) of all people. Ali was like, ‘You guys are like – what the hell?’ He was right. But I talked to somebody last night. And my wife, she goes, ‘I get it. You’re a man. You’re from Louisiana. You don’t like to be disrespected. So when you feel a challenge, you go at it head-on.’

“But she goes, ‘You were wrong. You didn’t have to say that about him in the first place. What was the point? You won both fights.’ But, again, it’s just me looking at competition a certain way. And I guess just expecting people to do it too. And it really doesn’t have to be that way.”

Given that Cormier has beaten Johnson both times they have shared the Octagon with each other, it’s unlikely that they’ll meet again. However, Johnson’s manager did say that a return for “Rumble” would like take place at heavyweight anyway.